The local police-force and community at large woke up much poorer on Thursday, after the passing of a beloved police captain.

Police spokesperson, Capt. Khanyisile Zwane, passed away in the Arwyp Hospital in Kempton Park on Wednesday due to multiple organ failure. She had been struggling with her stomach for quite some time.

Capt. Zwane’s brother, Peli Zwane, says that her death comes as a big shock to the family. She was admitted to the Ermelo Mediclinc last week whereafter she was transferred to the Mediclinic Higveld in Trichard and finally to Kempton Park where she passed away.

Capt. Zwane grew up in Ermelo and started school at Phumula Primary. She matriculated at Ermelo Combined School before qualifying in Communication Management.

She started her career as a spokesperson with the Department of Health in Ermelo before moving to Nelspruit where she worked as events coordinator and marketer for the Department of Social Development.

Her career with the police started as Communications Officer in Pienaar where she obtained the rank of captain before she transferred to Middelburg where she worked as the local police spokeswoman until her untimely death.

“My sister was a one of a kind person. We always joked and said she is the type that would argue with five people at the same time and still expect to come out victorious,” her brother said.

She had a love for fashion and brightly coloured lipstick that matched her colourful personality. She lived for her son and spoke about how grateful and blessed she was to be a mother often. Her compassion with especially children that came across her path as a police officer, was always evident.

On Mother’s Day a couple of years back, she wrote on Facebook: “To all the motherless people, in Africa there is no orphan, it takes a nation to raise a child.”

For the Middelburg Observer editorial office, Capt. Zwane started off as a work colleague, but quickly became a beloved friend. Her bubbly and outspoken personality made her impossible to miss.

She went about her work fearlessly and did not shy away from admitting mistakes made by police officers, but also ruthlessly defending her brothers and sisters in arms when needed.

She was a tell-it-like-it-is person who walked the extra mile. Even when she was on sick leave and in and out of hospital, she still tried to assist with media enquiries and advice on how to go about getting information needed for stories.

Whilst covering a story about a baby shot to death in a shack by a stray bullet, a journalist personally witnessed her organizing new bedding and blankets (because the old ones were soiled with blood), food parcels for the impoverished family and a complete funeral with food for after tears, from behind her desk in a couple of minutes.

The journalist herself was tasked to donate vegetables for the stew at the funeral and sent to the shops with a shopping list depicting exactly how much of each kind of vegetable the journalist had to return with.

She had nicknames for many of the journalists and will be remembered for her sharp sense of humor that could lighten any mood.

In an editorial office daily confronted by death, journalists often console each other when a colleague is saddened by an article they need to do about someone’s passing. On Thursday morning, there was no one left to do the consoling as the whole office was in tears as they mourned the death of Capt. Zwane.

Mr. Zwane says that August will always be remembered as a tough month for the family. Their mother, Delisile Zwane (66), passed away in August 2020 after a short sickbed. Capt. Zwane struggled to come to terms with her mother’s death, she passed away a year later, on August 4 (Wednesday) which was also her son Mphilo’s 13th birthday. She will be buried on Sunday August 8, which is her brother, Bongumusa’s birthday.

Capt. Zwane leaves behind her son Mphilo, two brothers Pelican and Bongumusa and two nieces. She will be laid to rest on Sunday form the Anglican Church in Wesselton Ermelo. The funeral will take place from 08:00 to 10:00.